The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1887-02-11
A BROKEN RAIL.

| It Causes a Passenger Train in Vermont
to Plunge Down Fifty-Foot Gorge to a
Frozen River Be1ow-The Wrecked Cars
Take Fire and Over Forty Persons Are
Roasted AIive-Forty Wounded Agon-
izing Scenes.
CosCoRD, n. H, Feb. THE express
train that left Boston at seven o'clock Fri
day night met with terrible accident near
| Woodstock, on the Central Vermont rail
road, at about $50 Saturday morning. The
train started from this city on time, but
was detained at White River Junction,
80 it was about an hour and a
half late when it left there. II
| consisted of locomotive, bag
gage car, postal car, two passenger coach.
es and two sleeping cars, and was running
at the usual rate of speed.
/ West Hartford is farming hamlet on
the east bank of the White river, and at
the upper end of the village the Central
Vermont crosses the river obliquely. The
bridge was of wood, 1856 feet long and
fifty feet above the water, which was
frozen solidly. The bridge was an uncov-
cred one, built in 1852 High abutments
extended fifty feet on each end from the
steep banks of the river.
The accident was caused by the breaking
of rail- 200 feet from the bridge, under the
rear car Of the train, which was sleeping.
car, and derailing it. This in turn pulled
the three cars in front Of it off the track
and sent the four off the edge of the bridge.
The locomotive had passed nearly across
when the engineer, looking back, saw the
last four cars of the train plunge off the
east side of the abutment down to the ice,
fifty feet below. The mail-car and bag
IL, A.
motive, and the train hands and the few
passengers in the smoking compartment OF
the mail-car fastened down the steep river
bank, where lay the two sleeping and
two passenger coaches bottom up on the
ice. From the windows of the overturned
cars crawled a few of the occupants, and
all set about rescuing those confne ed with
in the wrecked cars Firesin the stoves OF
each car quickly set fire to the woodwork
| and the horrors of burning to death faced
the crushed and bleeding passengers
who had not been killed outright by
the terrific plunge. The flames burned
rapidly and communicated to the woode
bridge beneath which lay the cars.
In half an hours time only mass of
ashes and twisted iron remained of the
great wreck. The ice sustained the weight
of the cars but the heat from the burning
| of the Sleeping-carS melted the ice beneath
them partially, and the second of the two
sunk to depth of two or three feet. The
night was clear and cold. A farmer living
near by said it was II degrees below nero
| when he left his house to go to the
wreck. Rescuers and rescued were badly
| frost-bitten.
In the rear sleeping-car was Harvard
College student on his way to the Montreal
carnival. He was able to crawl from the
car through window and helped to save
two others from that Car. One of the sur
vivors in the first passenger coach was J.
Magnet, of Three Rivers, P. O., who sat
in the same seat with his father. The
father was burned to death before the sons
eyes. The latter escaped through window.
The total number of dead bodies re-
covered is thirty-two. 1t is now believed
that not over seventy five persons were on
the train. Of these thirty-fve are ac-
counted for as among the wounded, thirty
two are dead, four are uninjured, leaving
only four unaccounted for. It is under
stood there were some children without
tickets, so the above figures may be slight-
~ changed.
The list of dead is as follows:
z. F. Dillon, of Dartmouth College; S. S.
Westcott, of Burlington, VT, and his little son,
| who was found clasped in his fathers arms;
Frank L. Wesson, of Springfield, Mass; D.
Magnet, of Schanigan, Can; Edward Banks,
brakeman, of Lebanon, N. H.; M. R. Burgess,
Pullman Car conductor; Miss Nancy Dunbar,
Somerville, Mass; Mason Mills, Iro-
quo:s, Can; Conductor S. G. Sturte-
want; John MADDEN (colored) porter of Pull
man car "Pflgrim;" Cephas Mills, Iroquois,
Can; - Boulanger, young girl of Holyoke,
| Mass; A. ]. Hammer, Boston, porter of Pull
man car 'St. Albans;'' Edgar Wilder, of Day
ton, o.; Mrs. Derneau, Winooski, VT. Charles
w. Sanford, of Lowell, Mass, is probably
among the dead The porter of the car Puri-
tan, name unknown, is also dead.
The wounded number forty.
Mr.. Henry w. Tewksbury, of West Ran
dolph, VT, the lecturer, says that he was
in the first day coach. He was doing at
the time of the accident, but was aroused
by feeling the car jumping up on the rail.
road ties. Without moments warning
the car seemed to leap into space and then
came terrible crash. For a moment
he was stunned, and scarcely knew
whether he was dead or alive. He tried to
move, but found he could not bud e an inch.
He noticed with great alarm that fire had
broken out at the farther end of the coach.
He struggled with all his strength to free
himself and screamed for help, but there was
no one at hand to help him. 1t was time
OF mental torture, but still he could not
help noticing an old couple who were few
seats above him. They sought to get out,
but they were hopelessly tied down by
heavy seats. The flames approached the
couple with frightful rapidlty, and the
aged pair seemed to feel that there was no
hope for them. The last he saw of them
they were locked in each others arms
in the act of kissing. The smoke and
flames now envelOped them, hiding them
| from view.
Mr.. Tewksbury then gave himself up for
lost He seized his fur cap and wound it
around his face SO as to cover the eyes and
hide the dreadful view of approaching
death. At this time the railroad
bridge above him was one mass of
fire, and heavy burning timbers were
falling all about him. Having leaned
| back resignedly to meet what seemed
his fearful fate, his hopes of life were re-
newed by hearing voices. He unwound his
fur cap and saw the engineer and fireman
close at hand. He called to them frantically
for assistance, which they proffered at once.
Selling hold 81 him, his rescuers sought to
| pull him out, but failed. Thinking that his
was hopeless case they were about to leave
him and help others, but he begged them
to try again and tc break his leg if neces-
sary. They did so, and managed to get
him out, breaking the leg and an arm in the
effort The flames were so close upon Mr.
Tewksbury that his clothing was burned
| from his body.
The damage to rolling stock is estimated
at $4,000 A wooden bridge like the old
one will cost $4,000, but will probably be
rebuilt with iron, costing $4,000
/ Worse Than PIeuro or Cholera.